'Missed clues' in Climbie scandal

The junior social worker at the centre of the Victoria Climbie scandal missed eight crucial opportunities which could have saved the child's life, a tribunal heard today.

Lisa Arthurworrey missed signs Victoria was being abused, ignored guidelines and failed to read a key fax detailing her injuries.

As a result she failed to prevent the eight-year-old from being tortured and murdered by her carers, Marie-Therese Kouao and Carl Manning, at their flat in Tottenham.

A secret internal report commissioned by Haringey council identified the eight mistakes and recommended disciplinary action against Ms Arthurworrey, along with five colleagues. She was sacked for gross misconduct and is now demanding compensation and her ?32,000-a-year job back.

The author of the Haringey report, Bernard Monaghan, told the central London employment tribunal that Ms Arthurworrey had been "negligent" in her attempts to protect Victoria. He conceded there were both "individual and organisational" failures in Haringey. But his report was used by the council as evidence to dismiss Ms Arthurworrey, who claims she was made a "scapegoat" for the council's widespread failures.

Mr Monaghan, a former social services chief, said Ms Arthurworrey had acknowledged the mistakes when he interviewed her.

But she never signed a copy of her statement, and now claims she was unable to fight her dismissal properly because she was suffering from clinical depression at the time. Since she was sacked she has been banned from caring for children and wants the restrictions lifted. The hearing continues.